1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of water heaters and more particularly relates to a water heater for use in a fireplace in a home.
2. The Prior Art
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,394,697 issued July 30, 1968, Lewis shows a free-standing firescreen having a central section to which two side sections are joined at angles. The fireliner is placed adjacent a fireplace with the smooth, flat sides of the sections facing the fire. On the opposite side of the fireliner, copper tubing is arranged in a serpentine path, and water to be heated is circulated through the tubing.
The inventions disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,046,051 issued June 30, 1936 to Baruch et al., and in U.S. Pat. No. 4,025,043 issued May 24, 1977 to Cleer, Jr. are generally similar and include water-filled fireplace liners having water-filled floor members. These devices fit into the fireplace cavity and the fire is located within the device. In all of the prior art discussed to this point, a large portion of the heat produced by the fire flows upwardly through the device into a flue which conducts it into the atmosphere.
In British patent specification No. 930,937 published July 10, 1963, Green shows a fireplace in which a hollow water-filled wall is positioned behind and above the fire so that the hot gases come in contact with the front surface of the wall. Green also provides a lower flue passage which leads rearwardly from the fire beneath the water-filled wall and then upwardly along the rear surface of the wall. Green discloses that some of the heated air passes into the lower flue beneath the water-filled wall and thereafter flows upwardly along the rear surface of the water-filled wall to warm it. To the extent that the heated air divides, some of it passing on the front side of the water-filled wall, and the remainder passing on the rear side of the water-filled wall, the invention is little different from merely placing a boiler in the flue so that some of the heated air passes on each side of the boiler.
As will be seen below, the present invention includes structural features which render it more efficient for heating water than any of the above-described prior art.